In Brief
Health concessions
Minister says cuts won’t apply to overtime for doctors, nurses Health Minister Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou yesterday pledged that the cuts to benefits heralded in the government’s latest round of austerity measures would not apply to doctors’ additional duty shift hours nor to nurses’ overtime hours. The minister added that 36 million euros in outstanding payments owed to nursing and hospital staff at state hospitals would be disbursed by Easter. Xenogiannakopoulou also said that she would promote demands by nurses to be included on a list of arduous and hazardous professions offering early retirement and benefits. The nurses’ demand to join the list, which currently includes dozens of professions ranging from coal miners to hairdressers, is «justifiable,» the minister said. Fraudster warning Bogus prosecutor is back Former Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas yesterday issued a written statement warning of the reappearance of an ex-convict who several years ago had impersonated him in visits to businessmen across the country, seeking donations ostensibly destined for charity organizations. «This person… has reappeared and is once again masquerading as the Supreme Court prosecutor… I felt it was necessary to announce this to ensure that those who receive telephone calls [from the suspect] are not misled,» Sanidas said. The impersonator has called several businessmen recently, focusing on the Halkida area, Sanidas added. Turkish talks Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas is due to travel to Ankara for talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on March 30 and 31, ministry sources said yesterday. Attempts to ease bilateral tensions in the Aegean and the dispute about the delineation of the continental shelf are expected to feature high on the agenda of talks between the two diplomats. A committee of lower-level diplomats from both countries have reportedly prepared the groundwork for the talks. Police suicide Police in Corinth, western Greece, yesterday were investigating the apparent suicide of a local officer who shot himself with his service gun at his home in the small town of Assos. The officer, who was not identified, had served on the local crime crackdown unit. Ministry blast A homemade explosive device planted outside an annex of the Culture Ministry in the central Athens district of Exarchia early yesterday caused minor damage and no injuries when it detonated. Bomb disposal experts gathered fragments of the device, which had comprised two gas canisters, and were examining them yesterday in a bid to find leads to the perpetrators. Armed raid Police in the Cretan port of Iraklio yesterday were seeking two armed robbers who netted 7,000 euros after holding up a supermarket late on Wednesday night. No one was injured in the raid.
